There will be six rematches during Wild Card Weekend of the NFL playoffs, and the field has been set.
The 2023 NFL Wild Card Playoff Schedule
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The American Football Conference (AFC) playoff field was completed on Sunday afternoon, with the Miami Dolphins securing the AFC’s seventh seed with a win over the New York Jets and a loss by the New England Patriots to the Buffalo Bills.
The NFC’s last playoff spot came down to the Green Bay Packers’ regular season finale against the Detroit Lions.
After Jared Goff and the Rams’ victory over the Packers in the regular season finale, the Seattle Seahawks clinched the NFC’s final playoff spot with their earlier victory that day.
The AFC’s Kansas City Chiefs and NFC’s Philadelphia Eagles both clinched their division titles this weekend, meaning they’ll be staying at home to watch the action next week with the rest of us.
Now that everything has been decided, the NFL has released the schedule for Wild Card Weekend.
What follows is the planned itinerary:
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Saturday, January 14
Seattle Seahawks (#7) at San Francisco 49ers (#2): 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX
An opening round playoff matchup between two divisional foes. The NFC West rivalry between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers continues with the Seahawks’ trip to the Bay Area for the third time this season.
When these two teams met in Week 2, Trey Lance was injured and would be out for the season. This opened the door for Jimmy Garoppolo to make his season debut.
Despite the Seahawks’ 27-7 victory, the upcoming rematch would be a completely different story. The 49ers, with rookie quarterback Brock Purdy at the helm, won Week 15 by a score of 21-13.
Los Angeles Chargers (#5) at Jacksonville Jaguars (#4): 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC
This is a rematch from the regular season, just like the other AFC playoff games.
The Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars will be rematching their Week 3 game, which the Jaguars won 38-10 while on the road against the Chargers. The other two games feature third meetings between division rivals.
Trevor Lawrence defeated Justin Herbert by throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns while only committing one interception in their matchup.
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Sunday, January 15
Miami Dolphins (#7) at Buffalo Bills (#2): 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS
The AFC East rivals are meeting for the third time this season. The Dolphins came out on top in the first meeting, a Week 3 game that ended with a 21-19 score and was marked by the infamous “Butt Punt.”
In Week 15, Buffalo hosted their opponent and came out victorious, 32-29. The status of Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has missed the Hurricanes’ last two games while in the concussion protocol, will be a major plot point in this matchup.
New York Giants (#6) at Minnesota Vikings (#3): 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX
The 2022 NFL regular season was highlighted by the New York Giants’ surprising success. The Giants’ new general manager, Joe Schoen, tried to lower expectations before the season began, but instead of racking up a string of losses, they kept winning.
As a reward, they will face off against the Minnesota Vikings again, who beat the Giants in Week 16 on the final play of the game thanks to a 61-yard field goal by Greg Joseph.
Baltimore Ravens (#6) at Cincinnati Bengals (#3): 8:15 p.m. ET, NBC
This will be the third time the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals have played each other this season, and the second time in as many weeks.
Due to the Bengals’ victory over the Ravens in the regular season finale, the venue for this rubber match between AFC North rivals will not be decided by a coin toss.
Despite Cincinnati’s victory on Sunday, the Ravens won the first meeting between the teams this season thanks to a game-winning field goal from Justin Tucker.
In the days leading up to the game, much attention will be paid to quarterback Lamar Jackson’s fitness. Jackson’s knee injury from Week 13 against the Denver Broncos has kept him out of action.
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Monday, January 16
Dallas Cowboys (#5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (#2): 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
The Buccaneers and Cowboys played in Dallas on opening day of the 2022 NFL season, which seems like a lifetime ago.
As for the game itself, Tom Brady and the visiting Buccaneers prevailed 19-3 over Dak Prescott and the home Cowboys.
Since then, a lot of shifts have occurred. Despite having a losing record, the Buccaneers made it into the playoffs, while the Cowboys’ loss on Sunday to the Washington Commanders cost them a chance at the NFC’s top seed.
